I shall stay with Ephrem, Surprenant, and come back in the morning." Chapdelaine was a little slow to make reply, recalling the stiff day's work his old beast had already accomplished, but at the end he went out to harness Charles Eugene once more.

In a few minutes the doctor was on the road, leaving the family to themselves as usual.
A great stillness reigned in the house.

The comfortable thought was with them all:--"Anyway the medicine he has given her is a good one; she groans no longer." But scarce an hour had gone by before the sick woman ceased to feel the effect of the too feeble drug, became conscious again, tried to turn herself in bed and screamed out with pain.

They were all up at once and crowding about her in their concern; she opened her eyes, and after groaning in an agonized way began to weep unrestrainedly.
"O Samuel, I am dying, there can be no doubt of it." "No! No! You must not think that." "Yes, I know that I am dying.

I feel it.